You can probably identify with the following scenario: Mike is a newly minted CIO, trying to roll out ServiceNow in a way that will bring quick and meaningful value to the C-suite. He knows he’ll need to be expertly organized and methodical, but he’s also overwhelmed and isn’t sure where to start. Does he plunge headfirst into the project and try to secure early wins? Does he proceed cautiously and use a committee process to mull all possible scenarios and outcomes?

As a ServiceNow Gold Partner, Crossfuze has worked with hundreds of CIOs just like Mike, struggling to chart a winning path forward with their ServiceNow implementation. No two CIOs’ stories are exactly alike, but the CIOs who have the best outcomes all have several things in common. We call these our Pillars of ServiceNow Success.

When you’re starting your ServiceNow journey, the first thing to do is to develop a set of desired outcomes to frame your big-picture vision. This is the first foundational pillar to optimize your ServiceNow investment. (For all 10 Pillars, download the entire eBook here.)

Once you’ve developed your business vision for ServiceNow, the next step is to chart your roadmap, which is the path via which you’ll achieve your big-picture vision. Here’s a sobering reality to keep in mind: Technology implementation is one of the most anxious terms for employees because it tends to create widespread confusion over whether adoption is mandatory or whether employees are being given the option to adopt.

A comprehensive, vision-aligned roadmap is your opportunity to help clear up this confusion. The roadmap should be more than a basic timeline of what specific tasks you’ll need to do and by when; it should address the challenges associated with integrating and unifying the many moving parts of your ServiceNow roadmap, ranging from effectively managing disparate teams to creating continuous and actionable feedback loops to effective internal communication. It also should extend out two to three years, so you can use it to align the power of the ServiceNow platform withthe business strategy. Here are four essential tips to keep in mind when developing your roadmap:

Align with your business vision: As you flesh out your roadmap, remember that it needs to serve as the vehicle through which you’ll implement your business vision. Thus, it’s important to tie every step of the roadmap back to the master goals and objectives you’ve outlined. The research firm, Forrester, recommends that your roadmap over the short term should prioritize incident management, problem management, and knowledge management; over the long term, your priorities should grow to include more business-aligned solutions, such as financial, asset, project and security operations management. Your goal is to build a matrix that spells out how each step of the roadmap aligns with your vision.

Build in flexibility and agility: Your roadmap is only going to be effective if everyone in the organization follows it, particularly as the going gets rough and you encounter unexpected problems and challenges. Thus, every step of the roadmap should be written with the intent that it can be adapted and modified later. Built-in flexibility is essential to preserving your roadmap’s viability over the long term and to guide you to quick, sustainable wins that help you get one step closer to reaching your vision.

Guarantee early wins: As you develop your roadmap, you want to stack the deck in your favor by consciously building early victories into your roadmap. Early victories are the incremental home runs that will motivate and inspire your team to keep going. If you don’t plot out some early wins, it could jeopardize your team’s chances of maintaining the positive momentum it needs to confidently keep moving forward.

Evangelize your roadmap: Your roadmap will be most effective when you talk it up often with executive leadership, management, and other leaders within your organization. You want to deliver a consistent message on the technology’s value and benefits, and you want to deliver it in a language that will resonate with your target audiences. Get them excited about each stage of the roadmap and the resulting successes. This helps them to get further invested in your ServiceNow roadmap’s success. In time this naturally turns them into platform advocates that help push your vision forward.

Charting a roadmap is truly one of the foundational elements of any successful ServiceNow journey. Too many organizations rush through this process and end up with an unworkable, irrelevant roadmap that hinders their success and jeopardizes their ability to reach their vision. Don’t let this happen to you. When you have a well-articulated roadmap that explains how you’ll achieve your vision, you’re setting up your organization for the service management transformation you desire.

To learn more about building a vision and charting a roadmap, please check out Crossfuze’s Smart Essentials guide. And if your organization could benefit from the type of customized expert support that an experienced ServiceNow implementation partner like Crossfuze can provide, don’t hesitate to contact us. In our next blog post, we’re going to explore the third pillar of ServiceNow success—communicating your vision.

Thank you for reading. If you found this post informative, please consider sharing it with others. Also, if you’re interested in finding out more about building a roadmap to service management transformation, send us an email at letstalk@crossfuze.com.